The Priest and the Veil

I get emails and phone calls from all sorts of people all over the world asking questions and making comments and observations. Some are trivial; some intense. Usually I give a short reply and can’t say much else.

One came in the other day in which a woman said that her priest was discouraging her from wearing her veil to Mass. What did I think?

I know what Mantilla the Hon would say…I’m thinking fireworks in Spanish…

To me this is crazy. Why would a priest have any objection to a woman wearing a veil to Mass? What business is it of his? The simple rule is this, “No bishop or priest has the right to forbid what the universal church allows nor mandate what the universal church forbids.”

If the woman wants to wear a veil, she can wear a veil. What get me is that I suspect the priest who doesn’t like the veil is really objecting to the woman’s take on her Catholic faith. Maybe he thinks she is a weird traddy or a dangerous conservative or whatever.

I wonder if he makes any objection to the gals who slouch into Mass chewing gum, wearing flip flops, a spaghetti strap halter top and hot pants?